Photo: The Emmett house in Stokesville, just downstream from North River Gap, was washed off its foundation and lodged against an apple tree, with the family trapped on second floor. Miraculously, no one was injured. Photo courtesy of Gay Michael and Dorwon Emmett Collection The June 1949 cloudburst over the Reddish Knob area was a significant event in the history of Shenandoah Mountain with 15 inches of rain falling in one day. The little town of Stokesville was wiped out, and Bridgewater experienced a historic flood, as did farms and homes along the North River. The families who were affected have stories they have passed down to their children and grandchildren. After the Flood of 1949, dikes and reservoirs were constructed to prevent another devastating flood of this magnitude. The mature, deep-rooted forest that grows on the steep slopes of Shenandoah Mountain today will also help reduce the severity of future floods.
The Little River Watershed, where it rained 15 inches on June 17, 1949, causing 75 landslides and flooding communities downstream. Photo © Brad Striebig Lynn Cameron, Co-Chair of Friends of Shenandoah Mountain, and Caroline Whitlow, a JMU Social Work major, teamed up to research the flood and interview survivors. The result is a series of stories about what happened on Shenandoah Mountain and in the Stokesville area.
- Cloudburst on Shenandoah Mountain
- Stokesville is Gone!
- The Cramer Family
- The Michael and Emmett Families
- The 4-H Campers and Girl Scouts
- Harry (Doc) Jopson's Story
- After the Flood: Flood Prevention
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